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Desalination and constraints

Israel is one the driest countries on the planet. By figuring out how to desalinate water – a problem we’ve talked about for the longest time – , Israel also makes more fresh water than it needs. They’ve cracked the desalination problem just as they cracked the drip irrigation problem a few decades ago. They’ve developed well systems used in Africa and biological digesters that can halve your water usage. In Israel’s case, desalination and constraints went together – one wouldn’t exist without the other.

When we talk about constraints, we often say – “If only I had more <budget/time/bandwidth>, I would….”

Perhaps the lesson to be learnt from Israel’s desalination adventure is that we should change the language. Figure out what you need to do and then say you need to figure it out while acknowledging the constraints. “I need to do <x> and I need to do it given <constraint.”

There’s always going to be someone with more resources and less constraints than you. And, that is cause for celebration, not sadness. If you find that changing, just remember this story about desalination and constraints. Remember Israel…